Bernadette Stanko

Kinder Scout! Finally!!!

One month to go until my challenge for SSAFA… so this weekend it was time to test myself on Kinder Scout.

Just over 9 miles across the Peak District, climbing up onto the plateau in blazing sunshine, scrambling over rocks, navigating uneven ground, and wondering at least several times whose idea this was 😂

But wow… what a day.

Kinder Scout has been on my list for years. Dave’s ashes were placed in a cairn above Edale, but at the time of his death the twins were too young for me to leave them. Then Amélie came along, and somehow the years just rolled by. There always seemed to be something stopping me from making the climb.

Then over the last few years came meniscus tears and a severe osteoarthritis diagnosis. Honestly, there were times I thought I would never manage it.

But losing a significant amount of weight and pushing myself to get fitter has paid off. Slowly, step by step, things that once felt impossible have started to feel achievable again.

Standing up there felt emotional in ways I hadn’t quite expected. Not just because of Dave, but because of what the walk itself represented. Proof that even when life changes your path for a while, it doesn’t necessarily close it forever.

The climb was challenging, but it was also one of those walks that fills your soul a little bit. Vast views, wild open spaces, weathered rocks, tiny streams with freezing cold water to soothe tired feet, and that amazing feeling of realising your body is carrying you further than you thought possible.

With only a month to go until the main challenge, this walk felt important mentally as much as physically.

I’m doing this challenge to raise funds for SSAFA, supporting veterans, serving personnel and military families who often face incredibly difficult circumstances.

Thank you so much to everybody supporting me, encouraging me, donating, or following along with the journey. It genuinely means more than you know ❤️

Now excuse me while I go and negotiate with my knees 😅

6 weeks to go…..

13 Bridges. Here We Go Again.

In 2025, I walked the 13 Bridge Challenge in memory of my stepbrother David.

It was one of those days that stays with you.

I remember standing at the start line in London, Grenadier flag in hand, a healthy breakfast in my belly, feeling strong and determined! 

It wasn’t easy. 

10.5 miles.

13 bridges.

Blazing heat.

Hundreds (and hundreds!) of steps.

I finished in just under four hours. My knees were shouting by the end — osteoarthritis is no joke — but my heart was full. I wore my Grenadier flag like a superhero cape and was overwhelmed by the supportive comments along the route. People noticed. People cared. It mattered.

I crossed that finish line achy and proud.

And now… it’s 2026.

I’ve signed up to do it all over again.

I won’t be walking alone. Ince again I’m joining a brilliant bunch of Army Mums — strong, resilient, supportive women who understand what it means to show up, dig deep, and keep going when it’s tough.

We have four months to prepare. Four months to train. Four months to fundraise.

Why do it again?

Because grief doesn’t disappear after one event.

Because remembrance deserves more than one day.

Because community makes hard things lighter.

Because last year proved that even with painful knees and soaring temperatures, I am capable of more than I sometimes believe.

And because David is still worth walking for.

So yes — I’m lacing up again.

I’ll be training carefully (my knees and I have already had a chat). I’ll be fundraising with heart. And I’ll probably still find something ridiculous along the route to laugh about.

If you supported me last year — thank you. Truly.

If you’d like to support again, I’d be so grateful.

If you can’t donate, cheering us on and sharing the page means just as much.

Here’s to 13 bridges.

Here’s to resilience.

Here’s to love that keeps moving forward.

And here’s to doing hard things — together.